Rail liberalisation plans off course

European Union transport ministers will meet Friday (14 March) to discuss rail reforms that would harmonise technical specifications and create a single EU-wide authorisation procedure for rail stock. They are expected to agree a ‘general approach’ to technical rules expanding the powers of the European Railway Agency. But long delays mean a first-reading agreement on even the technical aspects of the rail reform law will not be possible before the end of this parliamentary term, as hoped.

The lack of movement follows a vote in the European Parliament last month that in effect largely negated the aim of separating rail operators from track managers. MEPs reversed the stance adopted by the Parliament’s transport committee, which had supported the European Commission’s proposal for logistical separation.

Tenacity

Siim Kallas, the European commissioner for transport, said the Parliament’s vote was “yet another demonstration of the tenacity of the vested national interests that proved more appealing to MEPs than the balanced and well-reasoned compromises reached in December by the transport committee”. German rail giant Deutsche Bahn is in the forefront of opposition to the Commission proposal.

The amendments added in plenary would mean that public-service contracts would continue to be directly awarded in certain situations without having to go through competitive tendering. Compulsory competitive tendering, which was meant to give operators the ability to operate in all member states by 2019, has been delayed until 2023.

Transport ministers are also expected to take a position on a proposal enabling a public-private partnership called Shift2Rail. The project has been set up to develop and validate technologies and solutions that contribute to reducing life-cycle costs of the railway transport system, increase its capacity and improve reliability of rail services. Ministers will also debate a Commission communication on resource-efficient urban mobility.